Pat Robertson Ends His Long Run as Host of ‘The 700 Club’

The evangelical person Pat Robertson said connected Friday that helium was stepping down arsenic big of the “The 700 Club” aft much than 50 years astatine the helm of a programme that channeled Christian conservatism into millions of American homes and turned him into a household name.

“It’s been a large run,” Mr. Robertson said connected the show, adding that his lad Gordon Robertson would instrumentality implicit arsenic host.

Mr. Robertson, 91, made the announcement astatine the extremity of the broadcast connected Friday, the 60th day of the Christian Broadcasting Network, which Mr. Robertson started successful a tiny presumption successful Portsmouth, Va., successful 1961.

“The 700 Club” grew retired of a bid of telethons that Mr. Robertson began hosting successful 1963 to rescue the web from fiscal troubles. At the time, Mr. Robertson said helium was incapable to wage for a suite of offices the web had added to the station.

“I was praying connected my knees with the staff,” Mr. Robertson said connected Friday. “I needed $200,000, and I was praying and praying for the money.”

It was past that Mr. Robertson said Jesus appeared to him with a “vision for the world.”

“Our occupation was to scope the world, not conscionable wage the bills,” helium said.

The web began holding telethons, asking for 700 viewers to pledge $10 a period to the station. The efforts inspired the “700 Club” name.

The amusement transformed evangelical broadcasting, moving it distant from scripted sermons and recordings of structure revivals and turning it into a cozy talk-show format wherever Mr. Robertson discussed topics specified arsenic nutrition, relationships, matrimony and politics, said John C. Green, a prof emeritus of governmental subject astatine the University of Akron.

“It was done the occurrence of ‘The 700 Club’ that helium was capable to person a existent interaction connected politics,” helium said.

Mr. Robertson interviewed President Ronald Reagan; Shimon Peres, the erstwhile premier curate of Israel; and different satellite leaders. In 1988, helium ran arsenic a Republican campaigner for president and made beardown second-place finishes during the primary, performances that underscored the organizing imaginable of evangelical Christians.

Through the show, Mr. Robertson “helped cement that confederation betwixt blimpish Christians and the Republican Party,” Dr. Green said.

The amusement besides gave Mr. Robertson a regular level to vilify cheery radical and Muslims. He often quoted Bible verses successful a soft, gentle dependable to warrant remarks that infuriated Arab Americans and cheery rights organizations.

In 2002, helium described Islam arsenic a convulsive religion that wanted to “dominate and then, if request be, destroy.”

In 2013, a spectator sent a missive to the amusement asking however Facebook users should respond erstwhile they spot a representation of 2 men kissing. Mr. Robertson said, “I would punch ‘vomit,’ not ‘like.’”

He dismissed feminism as “a socialist, anti-family governmental question that encourages women to permission their husbands, termination their children, signifier witchcraft, destruct capitalism and go lesbians.”

He erstwhile told the communicative of an “awful-looking” pistillate who complained to her curate that her hubby had begun drinking heavily. Mr. Robertson said the curate told her that it was apt due to the fact that she had gained value and neglected her hair.

“We request to cultivate romance, darling,” Mr. Robertson said. He blamed earthy disasters and coercion connected motivation and spiritual failings. In 2012, aft deadly tornadoes pounded the South and Midwest, Mr. Robertson said that God would person intervened if “enough radical were praying.”

He besides made comments that amazed some his followers and critics.

In 2011, Mr. Robertson said that a antheral whose woman had Alzheimer’s illness should beryllium capable to divorcement her and find a caller partner. The adjacent year, he called for the legalization of marijuana, saying that the “war connected drugs conscionable hasn’t succeeded.”

“I judge successful moving with the hearts of people, and not locking them up,” helium said.

During Friday’s broadcast, the amusement steered wide of Mr. Robertson’s divisive comments.

Instead, it showed clips of Mr. Robertson embracing diverseness — the programme named the Rev. Ben Kinchlow, a Black minister, arsenic Mr. Robertson’s co-host successful 1975, a clip erstwhile determination were fewer Black tv hosts. Another clip showed Mr. Robertson asking President Donald J. Trump if the women successful his furniture would gain the aforesaid arsenic men.

Mr. Robertson said helium told his lad to expect him to instrumentality to the amusement from clip to time.

“In lawsuit I get a revelation from the Lord, I’m going to telephone you” and enactment successful the show, helium said. “I’ll travel successful arsenic a commentator, arsenic a elder commentator, from clip to time.”